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Published: August 21st 2005
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portofino des and april
Taken this morning at Portofino Bay Hotel in Orlando, FL. Today was one of those "perfect days" -- the ones that are few and far between but treasured when they happen. First off, it hit me that a.) I was going to be "on the road" until the end of July b.) I was traveling with the best person in the world - April and c.) I was resting on a beautiful Portofino Bay hotel bed. Yes, life was truly good today and I appreciated it and used up every moment.
Today April and I got our "bearings" together. After 3 days on the road, we were happy to take things nice and slow. We left the room around 12pm and decided to go for lunch at one of our favorite restaurants -- Bahama Breeze. Usually for me I like restaurants for their decor --- the quirkier the better -- but this time it was all about the food! There is no restaurant that even comes close to the food they serve there. Everything has this "healthy" feel to it. April and I discovered it about a year ago after reading a review on www.johnnyjet.com. The decor was a classy Caribbean with a touch of Key West and Johnny said
portofino lobby
Taken this morning in the lobby of the Portofino. the food was out of this world. We gave it a shot and agree 100%!!! We couldn't wait to go back since there aren't any close to Rhode Island.
The decor is rich woods with high ceilings and bamboo fans. There is a huge bar and a great outside dining section. It is casual, yet classy. If Tommy Bahama and Jimmy Buffett gave birth to a restaurant -- this would be it! 😊
I knew what I wanted already -- the jerk chicken and side salad. April got the chicken vegetable quesadia. The chicken was spiced perfectly -- a blend of crushed red pepper and black pepper -- mmm..mmm....and the house salad dressing is unlike any you can get elsewhere. It has a hint of mango, lime and raspberry taste to it -- and like a nuttiness..lol...it was just GOOD! April said her lunch was delicious as well.
After our healthy lunch we decided to do some walking. Since we wanted to check out some of the Disney properties for work reasons (I like to check the upkeep of popular hotels for my clients) we thought this was the perfect time to do that and get some
portofino view
Front view of Portofino Bay Hotel exercise in! Our first stop was the BRAND NEW and quite beautiful, Disney Saratoga Springs Resort. This place is HUUUUUUUGE, SPRAWLING, HUMUNGOUS.....you get the picture. It actually reminded us a bit of the Sandestin Resort in Destin, FL. Very classy, yet casual and beachy. The colors are great (for now, not sure how it will hold up in say, 10 years...) -- lime greens and pale pinks, blues and yellows. We parked the car and took a walk around the resort and visited the parts that were open. The pool is nice and there were quite a few families there. It is part of the Disney Vacation Club (like a time share) -- however, everyone is able to rent a room here. It is expensive, I believe it starts at $269 per night, but the rooms are beautiful. Most units come with a master bed and bath, living room with sleeper sofa, washer/dryer, full kitchen and balcony. This is a great place for families. They have a music hall on site and a place to rent golf carts and bikes. There is also a cute restaurant and shop. One of the workers said the resort will open other sections of
portofino 12
View of Portofino Bay the complex this June, July, August and September. I will have to keep my eyes open for special travel agent rates for this place -- absolutely gorgeous!
Our next stop, after Saratoga Springs, was Disney's Old Key West Resort. This place is also part of the Disney Vacation Club, but open to everyone. The second you enter the drive way you are greeted by a lush display of trees & flowers. The property looks like a very nice, and cute beach cottage. Lots of pastel colors and balcony's/patios. The resort itself is also very cute. There is a great restaurant called Olivia's that offers outdoor seating in a very tropical, key west atmosphere. There are water craft toys available for rent (patoon boats, paddle boats etc.,), several shops, cafes and a cute bike rental area. The pool is average size. Nothing too spectacular -- just nice. I would stay here in a heart beat.
Some other properties we visited in the area were the Grosvenor Resort, Best Western Downtown Disney and Wyndham Palace Resort. All were VERY dated and in our opinion -- run down. They looked like they were straight from the early 80's!! Lots of pink
saratoga 1
Disney's NEW Saratoga Springs Resort. and baby blue. For what they charge people they really should update their properties. The most Ape and I would give these hotels is 2 stars and that is because they are within walking distance to Downtown Disney.
After we toured those hotels we decided to take a ride down Hwy 192 in Kissimmee (lined with dated hotels, shops and restaurants). We wanted to visit the quaint town (if not eerily similar to the stepford wives) of Celebration. Well, to make a long story short, we drove up and down the wrong way past MANY shut down businesses and scary looking hotels. We finally ended up in the "nice" area of Hwy 192 and found the exit for Celebration. The town is very, very cute. Very new, clean, straight laced. There are some cute restaurants and shops and a funky looking cinema and park, but I feel like its almost segregated. Like ONLY rich, white people are allowed here. Granted we only drove through the town, but that is the "feeling" that I got. Ape and I were out of there as fast as we were in!
Back at the hotel we did some work and got ready
saratoga 6
The pool area of Saratoga Springs Resort. for the evening. At 8:15pm, in the Portofino Plaza, there was going to be live Italian music. We planned on seeing that and going for dinner at Mamma Della's at 8:45pm. When we got downstairs the weather was 100% perfect!!!!!!!! Low 60's with a breeze. There was a slight "nip" in the air almost. Perfect alfresco dining weather. We walked outside to the sounds of beautiful Italian music being sung by people on the balcony's overlooking the piazza. When we checked in at Mamma Della's we asked for a table outside and GOT ONE (we had reservations)! The food hear was PERFECT! The ambiance - PERFECT! The weather - PERFECT! I had a small plate of ravioli and April had eggplant and wine. We just sat there, ate dinner, talked and enjoyed the cool breeze. Music played softly and children were running all around -- it was a PERFECT night. Truly. Afterward, around 9:45pm we headed back to our room to rent a movie, but here it is 11:10pm and I am writing this blog and April just finished some work.
Pretty soon I will be going to bed and hopefully will wake up to another great day. It
old key west 1
Olivia's Restaurant at Disney's Old Key West Resort. has to be a great day -- it's my mom's birthday and mother's day.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MAMMA and HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY MAMMAS! ;-)
Til tomorrow...
Happy Travels!
Des & Ape
PS. Tomorrow you will meet the "stained sock puppet" -- stay tuned!
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